British Airways Halts Ticket Sales on Short-Haul Flights

Image: British Airways signage. (photo via Heather Shimmin / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)
Image: British Airways signage. (photo via Heather Shimmin / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 9:56 AM ET, Wed August 3, 2022

Apparently, the best way to cut the travel chaos leading to delays and cancellations is to just cut the flight itself.

British Airways, already beset by a plethora of problems this summer, said Tuesday it will suspend the sales of tickets on short-haul flights out of Heathrow International Airport in London to help alleviate

The suspension will last until August 15 and came at the request of officials at Heathrow, where staff shortages continue to mount according to CNBC.

The airport is hoping to alleviate the congestion by having its biggest carrier put a two-week hold on short-haul flights. Heathrow had recently put a limit on the number of passengers it would process daily, another measure to try to combat the overwhelming crisis of supply and demand - of too much demand from travelers who have spent the better part of the last two years stifled by the pandemic but not enough of a supply of airport workers.

"We've decided to take responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximize rebooking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry," British Airways said in a statement.

Heathrow was pleased to be able to buy itself a two-week break in the hopes that the situation normalizes as summer begins to draw to a close.

"We are pleased to see action from British Airways, acting responsibly and also putting passengers first," airport officials said in a statement.

It isn't the first concession an airline has made. Last month, Air France and Lufthansa made a similar move, reducing the number of their lowest-priced airfares to cut down on the number of travelers.

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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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